Just shifting the issue
As the authorities dither and bicker over how to combat pollution in the Capital, industrial units proliferate and entrench themselves virtually …
Manmohan's bag of magical budgeting tricks
The finance minister's targets for restructuring -- lower fiscal deficit, stronger economic recovery and higher exports -- form the core of his …
Is it on the right track?
Controversy has dogged the Konkan railway project since its inception. Today, many influential Goans are up in arms against the present alignment …
Chilika: A lake in limbo
The ecology of the already shrinking Chilika lake is further threatened by the scramble among fisherfolk, farmers and traders to grabe their …
The Wasted Earth
Waste has become a global problem, and is demanding curative technologies that require almost preternatural efficiency to execute. And that keep …
Beware of the developers
In its bid to get out of poverty, the Bihar government has finalised a plan to drain out lakes and convert them to farmlands. But it seems to be …
Filthy lucre
US's Democrats and Republicans break common bread over the fairness, or otherwise, of the Regulatory Reform Bill that could make industry …
Scales out of balance
A United Nations conference reveals the sense of desperate urgency concerning the oceans' rapidly depleting fish stocks
Where have the groves gone?
Overexploitation, skewed pricing policies and inefficient utilisation have laid bare the bamboo's vast reserves. While local communities clamour …
The trouble with the Trapezmium
A public interest petition in the Supreme Court to shift industries from the Taj Trapezium, based on a report forwarded by the National …
Dead fish tell tales
...as the case of Betwa proves. Tales which have the power to move a whole town in Madhya Pradesh and send the notoriously slothful official …
LEARNING THE VALUE OF T R E E S
NAME - Mangilal Rawat AGE - 45 CASTE - Bhil FATHER'S NAME - Sur Singh VILLAGE - Ojhad BLOCK - Sondwa DISTRICT - Jhabua
'There should be consensus among G-77'
Developing countries have a reputation for lacking political strategy when it comes to international negotiations. They have been slow in …
Cementing Ties
Wherever there is construction, there is corruption. The foundation of most projects rests on commissions, bribes and kickbacks
Divide And Rule
Policies that alienate the people from control over their habitat can cost the country dearly in terms of green cover and air and water quality
The Root Of All Evil
Laws meant to protect the forests are doing exactly the opposite. Funds for afforestation programmes are pocketed by the corrupt and land remains …
Dubious deal
Before looking for supporters elsewhere, the fossil fuel-dependent North should take the first step in reducing carbon emissions at home
North vs South
Developing nations should not sit back and allow the US to do the thinking. They should find a way of making their contributions meaningful and, …
In search of Vision 2020
The vision of a 'common future' appears to have been lost somewhere along the way from the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 to the first assembly of the …
The Rural Sector Opportunities and challenges
To deal with 'economic poverty', it is necessary to deal with 'ecological poverty'. And people's participation is necessary to undertake …
Parched lands
The frequency of droughts has made even traditionally water-rich regions fall under the spectre of death
India's urban renewal plan goes wrong
The Centre's ambitious urban renewal plan has one basic flaw: in the name of public-private participation it tries to give greater agency to …
The street fight
Three years have passed since the day we released our first study on pesticides. The government reduced excise duty on soft drinks in this year's …
The blind Court
This is a story of justice denied. On February 13, 1996, the Supreme Court, the highest seat of justice in the country, ruled that five units …
Geared to derail
Late last year, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Indian Railways (IR) castigated the for squandering money on import deals which would …